Animated toy such as a doll



Feb. 4, 1969, J. L. BONANNO ETAL 3,425,153

I ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL Filed May 11. 1966 Sheet of :5

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QRNEYS 1969 .1. 1.. BONANNO ETAL I ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A' DOLL Sheet 2 of 5 Filed May 11. 1966 lNV ENTO R s JasE/w z. Ram/4mm Juan/v01. fleas/144M BY 4 A R Fe 1969 J. BONANNO ETAL 3,425,153

ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL FiledMay 11, 1965 Sheet 3 of 5 INVEN OR 8:

Jase x/ z. o/ww/w 3021. AND A. (Pas/144w United States Patent 3,425,153 ANIMATED TOY SUCH AS A DOLL Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, and Dorland L. 'Crosman, Glen Ridge, N.J., assignors, by mesne assignments, to De Luxe Topper Corporation, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 11, 1966, Ser. No. 549,236 U.S. Cl. 46-119 Int. Cl. A63h 11/00, 13/16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to animated toys in which at least one appendage is movable with respect to the body of the toy, and has particular reference to an improved mechanism for controlling the movements of the movable appendage. While this invention is described with particular reference to a doll having a movable arm, it is to be understood that the novel aspects of this invention are readily applicable to other toys, such as animals, in which the movable appendage may be a dogs tail or a rabbits car.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a controlling mechanism of a relatively compact size which can be completely assembled prior to its insertion into the body of a doll with which it is to be employed. Once the mechanism has been assembled and inserted, the movable appendage is then secured to the exposed end of the mechanism for rotatable movement along with the rotatable element of the mechanism.

It is another object of this invention to provide in such a .mechanism means by which the movement of the movable appendage may be controlled, in a reliable manner, by the application of an actuating force to the exterior of the body of the doll or toy.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in such a mechanism an actuating means which is associated with the controlling mechanism in such a way that the actuating means does not project beyond the contour of the main body of the controlling mechanism, thereby permitting relatively facile placement of the assembled mechanism into a bore formed in the otherwise solid body of a toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a toy or doll a mechanism for actuating an appendage of the doll, the mechanism being completely concealed within the body of the doll, and retained within the body of the doll without disturbing the external features of the doll body.

Another object of the invention is provision of a controlling mechanism which is inexpensive to manufacture, and yet thoroughly practical and capable of giving long and reliable service.

In accordance with these objects, the invention includes, in its preferred form, a hollow generally cylindrical housing having a spindle rotatably arranged alOng the longitudinal axis of the housing. -A coil spring sur- 3,425,153 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 rounds the spindle and constantly tends to rotate the spindle toward one of its extreme positions. By rotating the movable appendage, the spindle can be rotated against the force of the spring into the other of its extreme positions. In this latter position, a spring-backed latch or dog carried by the spindle cooperates with a latching surface formed in the side wall of the housing in order to maintain the spindle and appendage in a cocked position. Intermediate its ends, the housing is provided with a reduced diameter region defining a cavity in the exterior wall of the housing. The latching surface mentioned above is located in this cavity region, and a trigger pivotally mounted at one of its ends on the housing is accommodated within the cavity. When the body of the doll is squeezed in the region overlying the trigger, the trigger serves to push the dog out of engagement with the latching surface thereby permitting the coil spring to rotate the spindle, and the appendage attached to it, to a released position.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the housing, spindle, spring, latch, and trigger can all be assembled before the controlling mechanism is assembled within the doll. Furthermore, the trigger is completely accommodated within the cavity in the housing and consequently no part of the mechanism projects beyond the cylindrical contour of the mechanism. Therefore, the completely assembled mechanism can be inserted in endwise fashion into a cylindrical bore in an otherwise solid toy body.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a toy doll having a movable arm, and illustrates the manner in which the user applies the actuating force to the outer surface of the doll, the cocked position of the movable arm being shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the torso and arms of the doll and the assembled arm controlling mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a view of a torso and arms of the doll after the elements shown in FIG. 2 have been assembled;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the control mechanism shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the cylindrical housing of the control mechanism;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the actuator or trigger of the control mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along lines 77 of FIG. 8, illustrating the control mechanism in its assembled condition as installed in the body of the doll, the spindle and arm being in cocked position;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken through the body of the doll, as viewed from the rear of the doll, showing the exterior of the control mechanism;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are vertical cross-sectional views taken along lines 9-9 and 10-10 respectively of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 10 showing the spindle of the control mechanism in the released position.

\ This invention is illustrated in connection with a doll having a body 10, a head 11, legs 12 and arms 13 and 13a. The arm 13 is intended to be moved from the temporary or cocked position shown in dot-dash lines, to the normal or released position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, arm 13a is intended to be unalfected by operation of the control mechanism. Movement of arm 13 may be adapted to simulate many different types of human action. For example, arm 13 may be provided with an opening 14 for loosely receiving a toy hand grenade 15, so that when arm 13 is rapidly swung from its cocked to its released position upon actuation of the control mechanism, the grenade 15 will be tossed away from arm 13 along the path indicated by the dot-dash line in FIG. 1. The body 10 of the doll is held in the hand of the user (FIG. 1), and pressure is applied to the upper portion of the back of the doll to actuate the movement of arm 13 in the manner which shall be described below.

Arm 13 is actuated by means of a control mechanism 16 including a substantially cylindrical shell or housing 17 which is made of any suitable material such as a light weight resilient plastic. The body 10 is provided with a cylindrical passageway 18 into which mechanism housing 17 is inserted. Housing 17 is prevented from rotating within passageway 18 by means of a downwardly extending ridge 19 which fits within a channel 19 formed in passageway 18. As will be described more full below, the arm 13a is adapted to be rotatable mounted on one end of the housing 17 after the mechanism is inserted into the passageway 18. However, in the embodiment shown, only the arm 13 will be rotated by means of the actuating mechanism 16.

The control mechanism 16 includes a rotatable spindle 20 (FIG. 4), having a rectangular block 21 formed at its outer end, the block 21 being provided with a threaded hole 22. Rotatable arm 13 is formed with a corresponding rectangular aperture 23, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, which mates with the block 21 of spindle 20. A hole 24 is formed in arm 13 for receiving a screw 25 which passes through hole 24 and opening 23 and is threaded into hole 22 of spindle 20."]' n this manner arm 13 is securely fastened to, and rotates with, the spindle 20.

A circular flange 26 is formed at the left hand end of housing 17 (FIG. 2) and limits the endwise movement of the housing 17 into passageway 18. FIG. 3 illustrates the assembly of arms 13 and 13a onto body 10, showing arm 13 in its released or normal position.

As may 'be seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, arm 13a is fastened to the unflanged side of housing 17 by means of a collar 27 having oppositely extending radial tabs 28 which are inserted into slots 29 formed in housing 17. The inner faces of the tabs 28 are sloped so that the tabs can cam the resilient material of the housing 17 outwardly until the tabs reach the slots 29, whereupon the housing material snaps back behind the tabs. A rivet 30, passing through axial holes formed in arm 13a, rotatably secures arm 13a to collar 27 and therefore to housing 17 when tabs 28 are inserted into slots 29.

The parts comprising the control mechanism are shown in FIGS. 4-7. A torsion spring 31 has a straight, longitudinally extending section 31a which fits into a notch 32 (FIG. 4) formed in a collar 33 provided near the outer end of spindle 20. The inner end of spring 31 is hook shaped and fits through a slot 34 (FIG. 5) formed in the wall of housing 17. It will be seen that rotation of the spindle 20 in a clockwise direction with respect to the housing 17 will cause the spring 31 to be tensioned.

Spindle 20 is formed at its inner end with a tapered portion 35, from which a tab 36 projects laterally. When assembling the control mechanism, spindle 20, surrounded by the spring 31, is inserted into the housing 17 and the portion passed through a generally circular opening 37 (FIGS. 5, 7 and 9) formed within a tranverse wall 38 disposed within the housing 17. A radial slot 39 extends from circular opening 37 to accommodate tab 36 when tapered portion 35 of spindle 20 is passed through opening 37. After tapered portion 35 and its projecting tab 36 are passed through opening 37, 39, spindle 20 is rotated so that tab 36 engages the side of wall 38 opposite to the side facing the remainder of the spindle to retain spindle 20 within housing 17, i.e. to prevent the removal of spindle 20 from the housing by pulling the spindle in the direction of its axis, Spindle 20 is also provided along its shank with a longitudinal slot 41 having a circular middle section 42. A compression spring 43 is accommodated within circular section 42, and a U-shaped dog 44 is disposed so that the legs of dog 44 are slidably inserted into slot 41 so that spring 43 fits between the legs of dog 44 and pushes radially outwardly against the cross bar of the dog.

A cavity 45 is formed in the outer surface of housing 17, the inner end of the cavity being defined by a substantially planar wall 46. Approximately mid-way along the height of wall 46, a lateral slot 47 is formed which defines along with wall 46, a transverse ledge 48 extending into housing 17. The lateral slot 47 is also provided with a circular enlargement 49 approximately at its midpoint. Formed in the outer surface of housing 17 directly adjacent to cut-out 45 are two inwardly converging camming surfaces 50 (FIGS. 4 and 9), which extend from the cylindrical outer surface of housing 17 to the opposite horizontal sides of slot 47, respectively.

A trigger, indicated generally by the reference numeral 59, is assembled with the housing 17 in a manner to be described below. The major portion of the trigger is a depressible portion 51, having an arcuate cross-section, which is adapted to be completely accommodated within the cavity 45 of the housing so that no part of the trigger projects beyond the generally cylindrical contour of the housing 17.

Trigger 59 is shown in detail in FIG. 6 and in addition to the portion 51, comprises a rib 52 formed on the inner wall of portion 51, the rib having an enlarged circular section 53. The rib 52 and circular section 53 are adapted to slidably fit into the slot 47 and its enlarged area 49, respectively. Extending from portion 51 of the trigger 59, is a triangular shaped member 54 having an enlargement 55 at its apex. When the trigger 59 is pushed into cavity 45, to assemble the trigger with housing 17, enlargement 55 contacts camming surfaces 50. Consequently, the camming surfaces separate to a slight extent and the slot 47 widens temporarily to permit the enlargement 55 to enter the housing 17. The resilient material of the housing then snaps behind the enlargement 55 (see FIG. 9) to pivotally secure the trigger to the housing. The fulcrum about which the trigger pivots is defined by the contact point between the enlargement 55 and the inner surface of wall 46. Apin 56 is formed integral with triangular section 54, at one of the base angles of the triangle, and fits into the vertical slot 57 in housing 17 when trigger 19 is installed in housing 17. The slot 57 happens to communicate with one of the slots 29, in the present embodiment, but the two slots are otherwise unrelated. The sides of the pin 56 engage the side walls of the slot 57 and thus help to support the trigger in its proper position by preventing lateral movement of the trigger.

The controlling mechanism 16 is shown in its assembled condition within the doll body 10 in FIG. 7. In the position of FIG. 7, dog 44 which is located in slot 41 of spindle 20, is pushed outwardly by spring 43 so that it overlies the ledge 48. The torsion spring 31 tends to rotate the spindle 20, but this rotation is prevented by the engagement of the dog 44 with the ledge 48 (see also FIG. 10). When spindle 20 is inserted into housing 17, its shank portion rests on an arcuate surface 60 (FIGS. 5, 9, and 10), and is free to rotate thereon when dog 44 is released from ledge 48. To actuate arm 13, the user of the toy doll applies pressure to the upper region of the back of the doll, as shown in FIG. 1. Since the doll body is formed of a pliable material, this pressure is transmitted to the depressible portion 51 of trigger 59 and causes the rib 52 and enlargement 53 of the trigger to move dog 44 inwardly out of engagement with ledge 48. When dog 44 is so released from ledge 48, the force exerted by spring 31 causes spindle 20 to rotate suddenly in a counter-clockwise direction from the position of FIG. 10 to that of FIG. 11. The rotation of spindle 20 is terminated when dog 44 strikes against a stop 58, as shown in FIG. 11, at which point arm 13 is in its released or normal position. In order to recock the arm 13, the arm is swung back, against the force of spring 31, to rotate the spindle in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 10. This movement is continued until the dog 44 becomes aligned with the slot 47 in wall 46, whereupon the spring 43 pushes the dog into the slot. The arm can then be released, since it will be prevented from rotating by the interengagement of the dog 44 and ledge 48 until the trigger 59 is once again depressed.

With reference to FIG. 9, it will be seen that radial slot 39 in wall 38 is disposed at an angle of approximately 135 from the position of tab 36 when spindle 20 is in the cocked position. Since spindle 20 rotates through an arc of approximately 90 in its travel from the cocked position to the released position, tab 36 will still be displaced from radial slot 39 by an angle of approximately 45 when spindle 20 has rotated to its released position. Therefore, even when arm 13 is in the released position, tab 36 will still be restrained against axial movement by transverse wall 38 thereby preventing the accidental removal of spindle 20 from housing 17.

What is claimed is:

1. An animated toy comprising a body having a passageway formed therethrough,

a substantially cylindrical housing securely disposed within said passageway, said housing being provided with a cavity in the outer wall thereof, a wall arranged inwardly of the outer contour of said housing defining the inner end of said cavity, said wall having a slot formed therein defining a ledge,

a spindle extending axially into said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement, said spindle having a transverse slot,

an appendage connected to one end of said spindle,

a rotation spring connected between said spindle and the wall of said housing, said spring constituting means for constantly urging said spindle toward a released position,

releasable means for retaining said spindle in a cocked position, said releasable means including a dog slidably accommodated within the transverse slot in said spindle and rotatable with said spindle, said spindle being rotatable into said cocked position by operation of said appendage, said ledge constituting means for engaging said dog to retain said spindle in said cocked position,

and trigger means accommodated by said cavity for releasing said retaining means to permit said spindle to rotate to said released position, said trigger means being disposed externally of said cavity wall but lying entirely within the cylindrical contour of said housing.

2. A toy as recited in claim 1 further including means for urging said dog through said slot to thereby retain said spindle in said cocked position.

3. A toy as defined in claim 2 wherein said dog is U-shaped and said urging means comprises a compression spring disposed within said transverse slot and in contact with the cross member of said U-shaped dog.

4. A toy as recited in claim 1 wherein said trigger means comprise a first substantially fiat portion for contacting said dog, and a second enlarged portion inserted into said slot in said housing and constituting fulcrum means for pivoting said first portion.

5. A toy as recited in claim 4 wherein said housing is formed of a resilient material and said lateral opening is defined by opposed tapering camming surfaces, which separate upon the insertion of said enlarged portion.

6. An animated toy comprising a body having a passageway formed therethrough,

a substantially cylindrical housing securely disposed within said passageway, said housing being provided with a cavity in the outer wall thereof, a wall arranged inwardly of the outer contour of said housing defining the inner end of said cavity, and said housing including an inner transverse wall having a generally circular opening and a radial slot extending from the circumference of said opening,

a spindle extending axially into said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement, said spindle including a tapered end extending into said passageway, and a tab projecting laterally from said tapered end, whereby said tapered end is extended through said opening by placing said tab through said radial slot, and when said spindle is rotated said tab engages said transverse wall to prevent axial motion of said spindle,

an appendage connected to one end of said spindle,

a rotation spring connected between said spindle and the wall of said housing, said spring constituting means for constantly urging said spindle toward a released position,

releasable means for retaining said spindle in a cocked position, said spindle being rotatable into said cocked position by operation of said appendage,

and trigger means accommodated by said cavity for releasing said retaining means to permit said spindle to rotate to said released position, said trigger means being disposed externally to said cavity wall but lying entirely within the cylindrical contour of said housing.

7. A toy as defined in claim 6 wherein said housing is provided with a stopformed on the interior wall of the housing, constituting means for limiting rotation of said spindle under the influence of said rotation spring.

8. A toy as defined in claim 7 wherein the angular displacement of said tab when said spindle rotates from said cocked position tosaid released position is less than the angular displacement between the position of the tab during said cocked position of said spindle, and the axis of said radial slot formed in said transverse wall.

9. A toy as defined in claim 8 wherein the angular displacement of said tab on said spindle moves through an angle of approximately ninety degrees, when said spindle rotates from said cocked position to said released position, and wherein said radial slot formed in said inner transverse wall is displaced at an angle of approximately from said tab when said spindle is in said cocked position, and said radial slot is displaced approximately 45 from said tab when said tab is in said released position.

10. An animated toy comprising a body formed of flexible material and having a passageway formed therethrough,

a substantially cylindrical housing. securely disposed within said passageway, said housing being provided with a cavity in the outer wall thereof, a wall arranged inwardly of the outer contour of said housing defining the inner end of said cavity,

a spindle extending axially into said housing and mounted therein for rotative movement,

an appendage connected to one end of said spindle,

a rotation spring connected between said spindle and the wall of said housing, said spring constituting means for constantly urging said spindle toward a released position,

releasable means for retaining said spindle in a cocked position, said spindle being rotatable into said cocked position by operation of said appendage,

and trigger means accommodated by said cavity for releasing said retaining means to permit said spindle to rotate to said released position, said trigger means being disposed externally of said cavity wall but lying entirely within the cylindrical contour of said housing, and said trigger means lying directly adjacent to the wall of said passageway, whereby said trigger means can be activated by the application of pressure to said body.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED 3 8 FOREIGN PATENTS 12/ 1922 Great Britain.

STATES PATENTS 189,941

Curtis 46-84 ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner. gf f f 5 CHARLES R. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner. Beebe 46-119 US. 01. X.R.

Ryan 4684 46145 

